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Short-listed for the Williams Hill Prize. A Guardian, Observer and Financial Times sports book of the year 2016

'A runner must run with dreams in his heart.' Emil Zatopek.

In the summer of 1952 Emil Zatopek became the king of the running world with an unprecedented distance treble at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. Together with his wife Dana, who won another gold medal in the javelin, they were the embodiment of sporting romance. Born on the same day, they were champions on the same day too. Yet in 1968 this affable but eccentric Czech solider was betrayed by his Communist paymasters and cast out into wilderness. Hidden from world view, monitored by the secret police and forced to live in a caravan in mining country, he became the invisible hero. 'Endurance' is the first biography to document the remarkable rise, fall and rehabilitation of a man voted the 'greatest runner of all time' by Runner's World in 2013.

It is also the story of a golden age of sport played out against a backdrop of Cold War politics and paranoia. From the London Olympics of 1948 to Czech concentration camps, this is an uplifting and harrowing story of survival. As Emil rises to global fame, his old coach is locked up and tortured by StB henchmen. Their diverging paths expose the fickleness of popularity and eventually cross again when Zatopek s world is torn asunder. All both men can do is endure.

The running world of this era is brought to life by dramatic accounts of Zatopek s great triumphs, manifold records and a rich collection of characters vying to dethrone him. In Britain the sharp-tongued Gordon Pirie falls foul of the media as he becomes obsessed with Zatopek and adopts increasingly-masochistic methods; mild-mannered marathon champion Jim Peters begins a quest that would make women weep and grown men lose their lunch. In France Alain Mimoun crawls from the bloody carnage of his war-time exploits to overcome racial snubs and become known as Zatopek s Shadow; and in the Soviet Union, the tragic figure of Vladimir Kuts is moulded into a brutal running machine at huge cost. Only Zatopek manages to bridge this East-West divide as a savage power struggle is fought in both the Olympic arena and in the corridors of power.

Due to extensive access to those involved, including Dana herself, award-winning Times author Rick Broadbent has written a vivid history involving blood and guns and a love that sustained the cruellest twists of fate. From heady nights at White City to the brave resistance during the Prague Spring, this is a book that plants the son of a carpenter at the very centre of a revolution. Whether talking to his rivals on the track or Red Army troops as tanks roll into Prague, Zatopek's humanity shines through and carries all.

With traces of 'Chariots of Fire' and Laura Hillenbrand's 'Unbroken', Endurance is both a wonderful love story and a landmark tale of hope and strength in the face of crushing opposition.

'It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.' Emil Zatopek

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Review

FINALLY, the hidden life of a blazing star has been revealed, and it's even more spellbinding than I imagined. No one accomplished more on the Olympic track than Emil Zatopek, no runner was more revered and beloved, yet none of us knew what happened when he suddenly vanished from the outside world. I've been hungry to read this story for years, and in Endurance I found all the secrets, drama, and heartache of an extraordinary life. Endurance reminded me why we share this odd urge to burst out the door and run till we can't breathe, and how for one rare talent, it created greatest and most devastating moments of his life. (Christopher McDougall, author of Natural Born Heroes and Born to Run)

Broadbent reveals Zátopek's remarkable, poignant story with thoughtfulness and journalistic energy (The Times)

Meticulously researched and boasts extensive interviews with people close to Zátopek (The Independent)

This is the first proper biography of the man who revolutionised running but whose misfortune was to do so in troubled political times (The Times)

Zátopek's is a fascinating story of determination and drive. For the real tale, read the book. (The Pink (Bournemouth))

Rick Broadbent is an outstanding journalist and he has researched his subject deeply (Athletics Weekly)

This 314-page book, although thoroughly documenting his races, constitutes a fascinating and often disturbing account of Zátopek's life off the track. (Athletics Weekly)

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This is a great story of an outstanding athlete Emil Zatopek (probably the greatest ever) that covers his athletic career, including his great races at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and the European Championships of 1950 and 1954 plus more. The book is, sort of, in two halves - his athletics career and his years in the political and social wilderness under the communists and his subsequent rehabilitation when communism finally collapses.

His feat of winning the 5000m, 10000m and Marathon is never likely to be repeated and is described in detail. There are mini biographies of the other great rivals of the time most notably, Chris Chataway, Gordon Pirie, Vladimir Kuts, Jim Peters and Alain Mimoun, invoking the atmosphere of the period..

In the intervening years after his retirement for running the communist government of Czechoslovakia treated him appallingly - this was the great Zatopek after all - and it says much about the indomitable spirit of the man that he came through these dark days and remained Zatopek - the man - the athlete - the world star.

Set in what many feel was the golden age of running, and against a backdrop of the Cold War and rising communism, this is a brilliantly evocative tale of perhaps the greatest runner to have ever dignified a race.

Even if you don’t like running, athletics or sport, this is an amazing read of an incredible man, whose world is full of drama, exhilaration, betrayal, love, political intrigue and, above all, a zest for life.

Emil Zátopek may not be a name known in every household, but this book should be.

Endurance is a cracking story, supremely well written and brought skilfully to life.

I was excited about reading this book as Zatopek is someone who has fascinated me. The book is meticulously researched and the level of detail particularly of Zatopek's upbringing and his rise to stardom is impressive. However, I found reading through this to be hard going and a real chore if I am honest. In a way, I find this hard to say as I normally love this style of book. Perhaps if you were alive at the time when Zatopek ran, then it might come more to life for you, but I just found I couldn't get into it. In the end, I skimmed through the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book just to get it finished as I knew I would never come back to it. I did find the last section about his post-running life to be surprisingly brief given some of the highlights that were presented; this sounded like a particularly interesting time but perhaps the author could not get sufficient detail on this. Who knows.

So in summary, probably 4/5 for the research and level of detail, but only 2/5 for readability.

Brilliant read. 10/10 . If you enjoy reading books about old school sporting legends this book is for you. I do run a few 5k and 10k races per year and I got some good training tips. Emil was years ahead of any other coach and runner of his generation. It's a good little history lesson too.